First report of fall army worm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on maize (Zea mays) from Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

In recent times, India is witnessing a huge damage in maize crop due to attack of an invasive polyphagous pest i.e. Fall army worm, which has been first reported from Shivamogga district of Karnataka in May 2019. Now, it has expanded and stretched across the different states of the country and has also been observed in few areas / pockets of Jabalpur, Dhar and Indore districts of Madhya Pradesh. The insect samples collected from these places resembled the morphological characters of Fall army worm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), as reported by various scientists, which confirms the presence of the pest in the state, and in the near future it may create a massive havoc for the maize growers of Madhya Pradesh.